Hybrid high pressure hydraulic turbine

Abstract

A rotary power plant that uses high-pressure, low volume hydraulic fluid has a housing journalling a rotor formed by a main shaft portion in the circumference of which one or more grooves are formed partially therearound; if more than one they are phased for partial overlap. Forming an expansion chamber with each groove, in addition to the sides of the groove and a radial end of the groove and the housing is a valve plunger spring biased against the groove, in which an end of the valve plunger rises as an automatically retractable barrier. An alternative embodiment provision of different-diameter shaft portions is disclosed.

What is claimed and desired to be protected by United States Letters Patent is: 
     
       1. In a system for developing rotary power from pressurized liquid in an engine having a direction of rotation, a housing, a shaft portion with a cylindrical periphery journalled in a bore in the housing, means for forming at least one expansion chamber between the shaft portion and the housing said means for forming including: a plunger valve assembly, a valve plunger and biasing means being part of said plunger valve assembly; a fluid inlet adjacent a first side of said plunger valve assembly and a fluid exhaust adjacent a second side of said plunger valve assembly; including: said means for forming, forming at least one expansion chamber including said shaft portion defining a first groove extending partway around the circumference of a first portion of said shaft portion, a first end of said valve plunger engaging said first groove under said bias, said fluid inlet and said fluid exhaust located for cyclically connecting with said first groove, and said first groove tapering in depth in the direction of said rotation from a point of extinction to a uniform depth portion, the improvement comprising: said shaft portion being an integral part of said shaft, said first groove merging with said shaft portion cylindrical periphery at said point of extinction, said shaft portion defining at least a second substantially identical one of said grooves thereon in axially spaced relation from said first groove, a second said plunger valve assembly for said second groove, said shaft portion having equal diameter at each of said first and second grooves, said first and second grooves in end view partially overlapping around said shaft portion, each said groove having a rounded cross-section, each said valve plunger having a rectangular cross-section, said housing having a rectangular cross-section passage therein holding each said valve plunger, said first end of each valve plunger having a bevel, said bevel defining a knife edge at said first end of each of said plungers for fitting a said groove rounded cross-section, a respective plunger keeper for forcing each said plunger into a respective groove under said bias, each valve plunger having a convex second end and the plunger keeper having a convex first end contacting said convex second end, said bias being a spring bias acting on a second end of said plunger keeper, each said knife edge including a front end, said front end being rounded.